Roasted Pear and Ginger Shortcakes

I subscribe to Clean Eating and I love it because I know I can make any of the recipes in the magazine and not feel guilty. But beyond recipes the magazine also provides reviews of new food products, shopping guides, exercises and all kinds of useful information for people who care about eating and living more healthfully.

The January 2011 edition has a great recipe that caught my eye because I love pears and I love ginger. They are both really good for you. Pears are a great source of fiber, vitamin B2, C, E, copper, and potassium. Ginger is believed to help counter inflammation, ease indigestion and perhaps help reduce fever. But regardless of their potential health benefits, pears and ginger both taste good and the recipe is a tasty way to combine the two. My only problem with the recipe was the Sucanat. I didn’t like the taste – it was too maple-y for me. So next time I will probably just use demerara sugar instead.

Ingredients

4 pears, peeled, halved, cored

1 navel orange

6 tbsp Sucanat, divided

1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

3 tbsp safflower oil

½ cup plus 2 tbsp low-fat buttermilk, divided

¾ cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425º F. Cut each pear half into 6 equal slices and place in a large baking dish. Remove peel from orange in thick strips with a vegetable peeler; use a paring knife to scrape off any remaining white pith and add peel to baking dish. Juice orange and add to pears, then sprinkle with 2 tbsp Sucanat. Roast for 40 minutes, turning pears with spatula twice during cooking. Pears are done when a paring knife meets little resistance when inserted and juices have thickened. Remove from over, cover with aluminum foil and set aside.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp Sucanat. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center. Transfer biscuits to a rack and cool for 5 minutes.